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The Pioneer Museum of Alabama was a flurry of activity Friday as young visitors came to learn more about how Alabama pioneer children lived and celebrated Christmas.

Barbara Tatom, museum director, said the Pioneer Museum of Alabama is busy time at Christmastime. Parents and grandparents are looking for fun and educational ways to spend time with their children.

And, it’s also a time for school groups to visit the museum that traces the history of Alabama pioneers.

“Little House on the Prairie,” the book and American Western historical television series, continue to generate interest in the pioneer way of life.

The Pioneer Museum of Alabama offers many opportunities for children to experience what life was like in the “old days.” Tatom said the pioneer way of life peaks the interest of children

On Friday, a group of Dothan homeschoolers visited the pioneer museum and got a taste, literally, of the wonder of the old timey days.’

Gentry Hassett played the role of a schoolmarm and introduced the students to the tools of learning for pioneer children and also how they played together and by themselves.

Mothers and grandmothers introduced the children to kitchen and cooking. The young girls learned to bake cookies at an early age and, when they were older, the learned to bake cake and pies and later to prepare meals.

The boys learn to cut and bring in wood, build fires, draw water from the well, milk the cow, shuck corn and weed the garden.

Kay Langford, group leader, said field trips are outstanding learning opportunities for children of all ages.

“Field trips make learning fun and what they learn by doing is a lasting way to learn,” she said. “The Pioneer Museum of Alabama is a great place to learn about the way life used to be and help children better understand how life was before television and i-phones. That’s something we all need to remember, know and appreciate.”